KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri T.C Goh, President of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) has urged the Federal government to boost funding for the ongoing construction of Pan Borneo Highways project in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said, this is necessary so that the said project can be completed without any further delay to benefit the people of the two states.
He noted that the Pan Borneo Highways project which costs RM300 billion to build is the longest highways in the country, and once completed the highways will be toll-free. Hence, their completion is much anticipated by the people. Although their constructions have been slow in the past, due to various factors, they are nonetheless progressing well currently, and are expected to be completed by next year.
Goh who is also President of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) cum a member of the Sabah Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) said this when commenting on the Pan Borneo Highways, during an interview on TVI’s “Selamat Pagi Malaysia” program, at RTM headquarters here, on Thursday.
He reminded that, the Pan Borneo Highways project was an important promise made by the Federal government to the people of Sabah and Sarawak, many years ago.
“Although the progress of this project has been slow due to various factors, we nonetheless hope that both the Federal and the state governments could continue to work closely to expedite its completion. Its completion would be significant towards propelling economic developments for Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
He acknowledged that the people of Sabah and Sarawak have been yearning for a proper-and-efficient public road system like the one in Peninsular Malaysia, for many years.
Goh was also convinced that a project of such magnitude would help closing the gap of basic infrastructures, between Peninsular Malaysia and east Malaysia, besides propelling economic developments for the latter.
He thus hoped the Federal government could pay due attention and provide more funding to expedite completion of this project.
Meanwhile, he concurred with the observation of the host, Munawar Azmi that, the much-to-be-desired quality of the existing public roads in Sabah, a vast majority of the tourists were more keen to visit tourists attractions in the urban areas, or places with better public roads, and this has inevitably hindered many rural areas in Sabah from developing their tourism potential.
Goh acknowledged that the existence of a better public roads system would certainly help boost tourism industry of the two states, the rural eco-tourism especially, since the two states are endowed with beautiful nature and rich biodiversity.
“And since it’s not easy for Malaysians to go overseas for holidays amidst the current situation, domestic tourism has inevitably become the preferred choice for Malaysians, and we warmly welcome everyone to visit Sabah,” he said.-pr/BNN
